Peter M. Holt

He was born on March 25, 1940 in Minneapolis to John and Irene (Herrick). He was baptized at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and confirmed at Spring Lake Lutheran Church near North Branch. Peter grew up in the Pine Lake area where he attended country school. He graduated from Cambridge High School in 1958.

On Oct. 3, 1959 he was united in marriage to Joyce Olson at the Cambridge Lutheran Church. After their first child was born, Pete worked for a time in Alaska and would return to Cambridge to build their first home near the Cambridge airport. Over the years they built several homes and raised their four children in the Cambridge area.

Pete worked over 39 years for Standard Construction, later Knutson Construction and worked on several of the large construction projects throughout the state. He retired as a senior superintendent in 1999. He was a skilled carpenter and cabinet maker, using his skills to not only build his homes, but also much of the items that furnished them.

He was an early member of the Cambridge Lions, and was a member of the Cambridge Lutheran Church. He enjoyed woodworking, deer and grouse hunting, working in his garden, and took great pride in having the perfect lawn. Peter enjoyed feeding and watching the birds, reading, learning about history, had a fine attention to detail; taking meticulous notes and fine recordkeeping. He loved his work, putting everything he had into his work. He was generous in his grace to people and had a powerful belief in family and his family was the most important thing in his life. He especially enjoyed the family vacations and the time that was spent with family at Kenny’s Lake Lot on Skogman Lake.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Joyce in November 2004, brother Richard, brother-in-law Lavern Rasmussen and sister-in-law Pat Holt. Peter is survived by his children Deb and husband Chuck Sabin of Roy, Utah, Todd and wife Donna Holt of Sturgeon Lake, Minn., Carla and husband John Bergloff of Cambridge, Annissa Holt of Mora, 13 grandchildren Aaron, Luke, Benjamin, Jacob and Mitchell Sabin, Pierce Holt, Christopher, Paul, Cory and Grant Bergloff, Shalee and James Fredrick, and Johnathon Johnson, great grandson Ian Paulson, sisters Donna and husband Milton Kier of Arizona, Dorothy Rasmussen of Amery, WI, brother Bob Holt of Kenai, Alaska, also by his cat Kitty and many other relatives and friends.

A Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Cambridge Lutheran Church with Rev. David Everett officiating. Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Chuck Sabin and Val Peterson will provide the special music. Organist is Mary Kay O’Neill. Honorary pallbearers are his 13 grandchildren and one great grandson. Arrangements were with the Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Cambridge.